


be my light in the dark

by hufflebee



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Greek Mythology, Demigods, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Violence, Multi, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-18
Updated: 2018-03-18
Packaged: 2019-04-03 21:51:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14005575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hufflebee/pseuds/hufflebee
Summary: Going to Camp Half-Blood is something Alec, a son of Apollo, looks forward to every summer, but when he arrives, he finds one of his best friends is missing. Suddenly nothing is as important as saving Magnus, even if it means going against Magnus’s father, Hades himself. With the help of Maia, Simon and Izzy, Alec goes on a journey to find his best friend, one he may be in love with, as well as the truth about why he was taken to begin with.(demigod AU)





	be my light in the dark

**Author's Note:**

> big thank you to [ my beta ](http://maiarobers.tumblr.com) and [my artist](https://packleaderluke.tumblr.com), as well as everyone at [ sh au mondays](https://shadowhuntersaumondays.tumblr.com) for helping make this fic possible!
> 
> the world is inspired by rick riordan's percy jackson universe, but this can be read without having read any of those books.
> 
>  
> 
> [my tumblr](https://www.hufflebee.tumblr.com)

“You all packed, Alec?” Maryse asks for the fifteenth time that morning, pacing around her son’s room, glancing at his shelves and open closet. Alec laughs from his bed and stands up, stepping in front of her, hands going to her shoulders.

“Mom, I’m 21 years old and have been going to camp every summer since I was eleven, I know how to pack for it,” he says, watching as she nods, and a moment later a soft laugh escapes her.

“I really need to relax, don’t I?”

“I can’t believe she’s finally admitting to it.”

Alec and Maryse turn to find Luke standing at the doorway, a smirk on his face. It’s not really new, seeing Luke living here, sharing the house Alec grew up in with his mother, but it still sometimes catches Alec off guard how right it feels. A memory resurfaces in his mind, one from years ago when Luke came into his room to reassure him that he wasn’t trying to replace Alec’s dad, but that he would be there for Alec if he needed him to be.

“I think my dad would be happy me and Mom have someone like you looking out for us,” Alec had told him then, still unsure if he believed it, but it’s what his father had told him to say if his mom ever started dating again. If he seemed nice, that is. If not, then he said that Alec should put an arrow through him, which looking back on it is very troubling advice to give a teenage boy.

“I am plenty relaxed, thank you very much,” Maryse says now, and Luke only responds with raising his hands in surrender, earning a smile from Maryse. He walks over to them, wrapping an arm around Maryse’s shoulders as Alec zips up his bags. The familiar excitement of going to camp rises in his heart, especially as he makes sure his bow and arrows are secure and ready to go.

“I have to say, I’ve never met someone this committed to a summer camp,” Luke comments, sounding completely innocent, an easy smile on his face, and he is seemingly unaware of the look Alec exchanges with his mom. The last time they talked about this particular topic was after she told him Luke had proposed, told him she’d said yes. Alec had been thrilled, but he’d only managed a minute or two before asking, “Are you going to tell him about dad?”

Maryse’s face had shifted, something like a shadow passing over her features, and Alec had immediately started apologizing, only for her to shush him before he could get a solid word out.

“It’s okay, Alec, I’ve been thinking about it a lot actually. But no sane person would believe me, and I don’t really have a way to prove it. Not really. I’ll tell him, though. Someday, I think.”

“We can do it together, if or when you decide it’s time.”

“Thank you, Alec, light of my life.”

Alec had barked out a laugh at that, and it took Maryse a moment to realize why, but when she did, she’d started laughing as well, unhinged in a way so unusual for her, especially back then, making it that much more wonderful to hear. The topic hadn’t come up since, not even at the wedding, when a mysterious tan gentleman in a navy blue suit went up to congratulate the newlyweds, when Maryse gawked at him as he walked away, when he spoke to Alec briefly, making sure to inform him that while Luke wasn’t as handsome as him, that he was glad Maryse was happy. Alec hadn’t seen his father since then, but even if he never did again, he would be happy with that being his last memory of him.

Alec’s phone beeps, and he glances at it, a text from Maia lighting up the screen.

“That’s my ride,” Alec says, and the three of them bring down his things together. When they step outside, Maia is already leaning against the hood of the deep blue Prius, sunglasses on as she gazes towards the sky. Her dark hair is in two braids, and she’s wearing white shorts along with the bright orange T-shirt with _Camp Half-Blood_ written on it, exactly like the one Alec is wearing. As soon as she spots them, Maia jogs over to Alec, pulling him into a hug, one he returns as best he can with his hands full.

“Missed you too, Maia,” he says as she pulls away. She greets Maryse and Luke, politely answering questions about school and her family. They load Alec’s stuff in the trunk of the car before Alec hugs his mom and Luke, promising to keep in touch over the summer. Alec and Maia get into the car, waving at Maryse and Luke one last time before Maia starts the engine.

“How have you been, sunshine?” Maia asks as they pull out of the driveway, and Alec gives her an unimpressed look from the passenger seat.

“Good, same old,” he says. “You, Ariel?”

She hits him lightly on the arm, eyes never leaving the road, but there’s a smile on her face as she talks about her past year studying marine biology at Columbia, dating Izzy, finding internships. The drive from Maryse’s house to camp is a little over three hours, but it goes by infinitely quicker as Alec and Maia catch up. They’re actually almost at camp by the time Maia asks the question Alec had been waiting for.

“So, excited to see Magnus?”

He rolls his eyes at her suggestive tone, poorly masked with innocence. At the end of camp last summer, he’d told her about his crush on Magnus, which, as she smugly informed him then, she was already aware of. Though they’d seen each other only a handful of times throughout the year, Maia had never missed an opportunity to ask Alec about said crush. But Magnus was one of his best friends, and spending endless hours of his summer with him was something Alec never wanted to lose. He never wanted to put a rift between them.

“Of course I am,” Alec says. “And I’m excited to see Simon and Izzy, and all my siblings, your point?”

“You know what my point is, smartass.”

Alec laughs at that, but adds nothing more, instead turning his gaze outside, the limits of camp coming into view. Memories of his first summer here wash over him, the event no longer as overwhelming as it had felt at the time.

 

_Maryse parked her car right at the start of a hill, turning to Alec and Meliorn sitting in the back. She gave them an encouraging smile and stepped out of the car, both of them doing the same. Meliorn took Alec’s bag from the trunk and said goodbye to Maryse._

_“I’ll give you a moment,” he said to Maryse, and then turned to Alec. “I’ll be waiting for you by that big tree over there, okay buddy?”_

_Alec nodded slightly, arms crossed in front of him, eyes barely flickering to Meliorn before settling back on his mother. He had never been to a summer camp before, but it felt odd that his mom had to drop him off before the camp was even in sight, even if Meliorn was apparently waiting for him. He may be already eleven, but he didn’t think he was that grown up. Maryse crouched down in front of him, gently placing her hands to his shoulders._

_“You okay?” she asked, and Alec gave a shaky nod. “There’s something I need to tell you. About your dad.”_

_Alec’s eyes widened. His mom never talked about Alec’s dad, ever, not even when he would pester her with questions for days on end, and in that moment, all worries about camp or Meliorn had vanished from his mind._

_“Remember that book of Greek mythology I got you for your last birthday?” Alec nodded._

_“And you know how I always tell you, if you believe something enough, remember it enough, it can never truly leave you?”_

_Alec nodded again, frowning. He didn’t understand what any of this had to do with his father._

_“Well, the world never stopped keeping the memory and the conversation of Greek gods alive, and so it kept them alive. Kept them moving with Western Civilizations, across Europe and then to North America, and they still reside on Mount Olympus, even though its location may have changed, and they still sometimes walk among us as they did in Ancient Greece.”_

_She stopped then, taking a deep breath, looking at Alec with a look he didn’t recognize. He let his mother’s words sink in, and a thought came to him, and he spoke it aloud before he could think of how ridiculous it sounded._

_“My dad is a Greek god?”_

_He expected his mother to laugh, expected that he would join in with a blush on his cheeks, but she just continued watching him and nodded._

_“Apollo, more specifically. I met him one summer, when I was very young, much more careless than I am now. We fell in love and I got pregnant with you, but he couldn’t stay with me. I used to resent him for it, but I knew what I was getting into. I just wanted to believe it would be different than he had said. Regardless, after I told him I was pregnant, he told me about this place, that I should bring you here when you were old enough, because the world isn’t safe for kids like you, and the people in this camp can teach you how to keep yourself safe.”_

_“So the kids here, they’re like me? Some Greek god is their parent?”_

_“Yes. And as you know, in every story, where there is a good guy, there is a bad guy. Here, they can teach you how to beat the bad guys.”_

_Alec glanced at Meliorn standing a few feet away from them, and asked, “Does Meliorn have a god for a parent?”_

_“I don’t think so,” Maryse said. “But he works at the camp, he makes sure all the kids find their way here, and he’ll help you find your place, okay?”_

_“Okay,” Alec said after a moment, and his mother gave him a bright smile._

_“I know this is a lot to take in, but you’re a Lightwood, a fighter, and the bravest boy I know. You’ll do great, I’m sure of it.”_

 

Maia’s car jerks to a stop right at the bottom of the hill, and she gets out, immediately going to the back to get her bags out. Alec follows her lead, stretching out his legs as he looks over at the giant tree atop the hill, the one marking the limits of camp. It’s rich and grand, even more so since it’s the only one in sight from where they’re standing, but it’s aesthetic is one of its less important characteristics. In a very unlikely gesture for the god, Zeus had given the tree protective powers, making it the source of a magical barrier that keeps the camp safe from monsters as well as wandering mortals.

Alec and Maia make their way to it, their things in hand, and the buzzing excitement seems to hit them both, coming through in the longer and faster strides and the smiles forming on their faces. Being a demigod by its definition meant having one godly parent, but it also meant not growing up with that parent, never really getting to know that parent, no matter how many talents or skills you inherit from them. Being a skilled archer never made Alec feel like he knew Apollo any better, and he suspected being able to communicate with sea creatures didn’t really make up for Poseidon’s absence in Maia’s life, either.

But being a demigod also meant coming to camp every summer, seeing your siblings and learning new skills without reservations. The second summer at camp, Maia had spent half of the first afternoon in the lake, thriving on not having to count the seconds in her head to avoid suspicion. When Alec started doing archery, his mother had told him to be careful, because being able to make every shot perfectly was bound to draw too much attention. But at camp, Alec could spend hours hitting a bullseye and only encouragement would follow.

It also meant being safe from monsters, because as Maryse told Alec all those years ago, where there is a good guy, there is a bad guy. So along with every deity of Ancient Greece existing, so did every awful, angry monster, and they not only had a way of finding demigods, but also a strong will to kill them. The time spent at camp was mostly focused on learning the skills required to identify those monsters and fight them, preferably without raising suspicion from the mortals who happened to be around at the time.

Though this was the camp’s main purpose, after so many years, there were very few things older demigods like Alec and Maia and a handful of others didn’t know, and the older they got, the less they seemed to encounter monsters in general. But the sense of belonging and understanding kept them coming back to camp, where they now mostly help run activities and show newcomers the ropes, answer any questions and provide comfort when it’s needed.

As soon as Maia and Alec cross the camp’s invisible border, the buildings and cabins came into view, and the two of them exchange an excited look before going over to the main building. Standing on the porch, with what looks like a glass of iced tea in his hand, is Chiron, the activities director of Camp Half-Blood, who also happens to be a centaur, his upper body that of a human, while he has the lower body and legs of a horse. It’s one of the more jarring things campers have to get used to when first arriving, but just like everything else, it becomes their new normal quickly enough. Chiron waves at Alec and Maia as they approach, and they exchange greetings as he gives each of them a glass of iced tea.

“How many new campers?” Maia asks.

“So far, only three, one is a child of Ares, but the other two have yet to be claimed, so they’re in the Hermes cabin,” Chiron says, his voice distant and distracted, and Alec notices he’s not really looking at him or Maia. Before he can question it, he hears someone yell his name and turns just in time to see Izzy running from the direction of the cabins towards the house.

He barely sets down his glass and drops his stuff to the floor before she flings herself into his arms, hugging him tightly.

“Missed you, too, little sister,” Alec says into her hair, a statement immediately followed by Izzy pulling back from the embrace to glare at him. She reminds him so much of Maia then that Alec can’t help but laugh.

“I am only a year younger than you,” she says. “So shush.”

“You’d think greeting her girlfriend of two years would take priority over shushing her big brother,” Maia says, light and teasing, a smile on her face. Izzy turns to her then, crossing the short distance between them and kissing Maia softly before hugging her as well. Alec looks away, a small smile on his face, only then noticing Chiron moved to the other side of the porch, expression uncharacteristically troubled.

“Well, I haven’t seen said big brother for months, and I saw you about 18 hours ago.” Izzy’s voice draws Alec’s attention back to her and Maia, easy conversation flowing between them as they make their way towards the campers’ cabins. Each cabin represents one of the twelve Olympians, the major deities of greek mythology, and each one houses the corresponding Olympian’s children. By far the fullest and liveliest one always seems to be Hermes’s cabin; even more than usual now, despite Chiron saying only two new demigods have arrived. Being the god of travellers, Hermes, or more specifically, his cabin, welcomes not only Hermes’s children but also all unclaimed demigods, as well as those whose parents are minor deities who do not have their own cabin, meaning it’s always very crowded.

Alec looks at the cabin, trying to find Magnus, but he doesn’t see him in any of the various groups gathered there, although that’s not too surprising. Despite having been at camp most of his life, Magnus didn’t really fit in, especially not since the first time he raised the skeletons.

 

_Alec had been in camp for two weeks when he was claimed, his body emitting warmth and light for a few moments, breaking through the heavy dark veil of the night._

_“Alec, son of Apollo,” Chiron had announced, followed by cheers from members of cabin number seven, Apollo’s cabin. Alec went to them and was greeted by an improvised song about welcoming a new sibling, but when they had encouraged him to join in, his voice didn’t quite match up to everyone else’s._

_“Don’t worry about it, kid,” Raj had told him later. “Apollo is the god of so many things, and none of us are skilled in every single one. I am a killer singer, but cannot heal a paper cut if my life depended on it. We’ll just have to find your strong suit.”_

_Alec had spent the following morning in the infirmary, and while he was decent at everything he tried there, it didn’t feel exactly right. He had tried singing again, even picking up a flute at Raj’s encouragement, but music still didn’t feel like the gift Apollo had passed on to him. While everyone went to lunch, Alec had started walking around camp, too frustrated to be able to sit still, and without realizing it, he had found himself at the archery range. It was empty except for a boy about Alec’s age sitting on one of the benches by the wall, a book in his lap. He looked up when Alec entered, but only gave him a small wave and smile before bringing his attention back to the book. Alec walked over to the displayed bows and quivers filled with arrows, and despite never having held a bow before, he reached for one and found that it felt perfect in his hand. He took only one arrow and moved closer to the targets set up across the length of the range._

_Without much conscious thought, he knocked the arrow back and released it in a matter of seconds, and he watched in awe as the arrow hit the center of the target. A feeling unlike any other started rising in Alec’s heart, and something about the movements of taking the arrow out of the quiver, knocking it back, letting it fly made him feel powerful, more himself than ever._

_He had just hit his fifth bullseye in a row when a crowd of other campers entered the archery range. Alec didn’t recognize most of them, but their demeanor made it obvious they were children of Ares, the god of war. One girl was bigger than all of them, probably the oldest as well, and she frowned when her eyes landed on Alec._

_“What are you doing here?”_

_“Practicing archery,” Alec said, unable to hide his sarcasm as he stood there, in the archery range, a bow in his hand, a quiver on his back._

_“Oh, we got ourselves a smartass over here,” the girl said, stepping closer to Alec. Though he didn’t understand why, Alec felt the energy of the group shift with her words, all of them huddling closer together, smirks forming on their faces._

_“Well, we’re here now, so how about you leave the weapons to people who were born to use them,” the girl said, earning a wave of appreciative whoops and cheers from her siblings. Alec felt rage rise inside him, because not only were these kids bullies, but they were trying to take him away from the thing his father had given him, the talent he had just discovered._

_“I’m not going anywhere,” Alec said, turning towards the targets again, and just as he reached back to take another arrow, he felt someone push him, just hard enough to send him stumbling back a few steps. He turned back to the Ares kids, all of them slowly approaching him, their smirks replaced with expressions of anger. Alec took a few more steps backward, fully intent on running out of there when the boy from the bench suddenly appeared by his side. He seemed to have shocked the Ares kids as much as he had shocked Alec, because they stopped their advance, staring at him in confusion._

_“Leave him alone, there is plenty of room for all of you to practice at the same time,” he said, voice surprisingly strong and sure, despite the small tremble in the last words. The girl in the front seemed to snap out of her surprise first, and leaned in and down, closer to the boy’s face._

_“And what are you going to do about it?”_

_The boy stood there speechless, and a predatory grin spread across the girl’s face, and she leaned back just for a moment, only to start moving towards the boy again as if to push him or hit him, Alec wasn’t sure._

_Then everything seemed to happen all at once._

_The boy raised his arms in front of his face to shield himself, and the ground started shaking. The girl froze, confusion clear on her face, and a scream erupted from her lips as the ground broke open, three skeletons rising from the hole. They moved slowly, like they were unsure how to, but just their presence was enough to send the girl running out of the archery range, her siblings not far behind._

_Alec stared at the skeletons, more in awe than anything else, and it took him a moment to realize the boy beside him still had his arms in front of his face, eyes closed, his whole body shaking lightly. Slowly, carefully, Alec placed a hand to the boy’s shoulder, and his gaze snapped to Alec’s instantly._

_“It’s okay, they’re gone, you saved us,” Alec said, watching as the fear slowly bled away from the boy’s expressive brown eyes. He nodded slightly, lowering his arms, and the archery range echoed with the sounds of bones falling to the floor. The sound made the boy jump, Alec’s hand falling from his shoulder, and then scream as he noticed the bones, but before Alec could react, the boy looked at his hands, and his eyes filled with tears, as he seemed to realize what had happened._

_“Did I, did I do that?” he whispered, not looking up. Alec stepped in front of him, unsure of what to do, so he just did what he always did in moments of uncertainty. Exactly what his mother would do._

_He placed his hands into the boy’s open palms, and the gesture was enough to get the boy to look up, his eyes meeting Alec’s again._

_“Yeah, you did, and you saved us from the Ares kids,” Alec said, hoping the conviction was as clear in his voice as it was in his heart. “Thank you.”_

_The boy watched him for a few moments, reminding Alec of the look his mom got when she was doing crossword puzzles in the paper, and then a small smile spread across his face, and he said, “No problem. I’m Magnus, by the way.”_

_“Alec, nice to meet you,” Alec said, returning the smile. “Son of Apollo.”_

_“Yeah, I figured, you’re way too good at archery to be anyone else’s son.”_

_Alec felt his cheeks heat slightly in response, and he said a quiet ‘thank you’ to Magnus. Silence settled between them, but the elephant, or rather, skeletons, in the room seemed to press down on their little bubble, and Magnus was the first one to break it._

_“Does this mean Hades is my father?”_

_The question was said quietly, carefully, caution and fear interwoven into the words, but Alec just squeezed Magnus’s hands and said, “You’re way to good at raising skeletons to be anyone else’s son.”_

_Magnus blinked at him and then burst out laughing, a beautiful, almost musical sound and just like that, Alec had made his first friend at Camp Half-Blood._

 

Despite being one of the three most powerful gods, along with Zeus and Poseidon, Hades did not have a cabin dedicated to him and his children. Whoever built the camp seemed to have thought building something in honor of the god of the dead wasn’t the greatest idea. And so Magnus stayed in the Hermes cabin, which Alec knew he hated.

“They’re all scared of me, and I feel very isolated,” he had told Alec one night many summers ago. “It would be easier to be alone in my own space than lonely in the fullest cabin at camp.”

But over the years, Magnus started spending less and less time in the Hermes cabin. He spent all his days with Alec that first summer, and then Maia came along the following year. She was the only child of Poseidon for years when she first came to camp, so she and Magnus bonded quickly. Izzy came along later that same summer, Simon only a week after that, and the five of them quickly became inseparable.

At least until the summer came to an end, and all of them went back to the mortal world. All of them except for Magnus.

“What do you mean, you live here?” Alec had asked Magnus that first year. He had been complaining about his neighborhood, especially the bald man living next door, who Alec was pretty sure didn’t even know how to smile, but it was still home, a place for Alec to return to.

“This where I’ve always lived,” Magnus had said. “Chiron says that someone brought me to camp before I could even walk, and I’ve been here ever since.”

Alec had insisted Magnus visit him, but it took years for that to happen, and even when it did, it was too brief for Alec’s liking. He understood that Magnus was cautious of the mortal world, a place that not even demigods born into it seemed to fit in, but he hated only seeing one of his best friends over the summer, hated that the only place Magnus could call home wasn’t always accepting of him. He invited Magnus to stay with him as often as he could, and though he didn’t always accept the invitation, Alec cherished the times that he did, cherished every smile and laugh he managed to get out of Magnus when it was just them.

_But where was he now?_

Alec, Maia and Izzy make their way over to Poseidon’s cabin, where Maia just dumps her things onto the bed closest to the door, and as she steps out, Alec asks, “Have either of you seen Magnus?”

Both Izzy and Maia cast a quick glance around the camp, frowning as they shake their heads. Anxiety grips at Alec’s throat, and he tries to think rationally. The camp is the safest place for demigods, nothing could attack Magnus here. He’s probably just caught up in some activity at camp. But he knew Alec, Maia and Izzy, even Simon, were coming today and Magnus always greeted them as soon as they arrived. Without saying anything else, Alec starts walking towards the main building, and he feels Maia and Izzy follow, and Chiron is just descending down the porch steps when they reach him.

“Where’s Magnus?” Alec asks immediately, his throat tightening up further as Chiron’s expression grows grim and he looks away from Alec.

“He left camp a two days ago. I tried to caution him against it, especially against going on his own, but he seemed insistent. He promised he would check in, but I haven’t heard from him since he left. I’ve tried reaching him, but got no response,” Chiron says. “He said he had some place he wanted to visit, but he didn’t share more than that.”

The world seems to close in around Alec and he feels a scream rise in his throat, but all he lets out is a choked off sob, his knees going weak as he drops into a crouch, hands pressing against his eyes. Why would Magnus leave, what could have been so important to him that it managed to lure Magnus out of camp? Who would want to hurt him? All the taunts of other campers from the years flood Alec’s mind, all the wary and fearful looks they would give Magnus, all the whispers, and yet he couldn’t believe someone from camp would go as far as hurting Magnus.

“I want to go look for him,” Alec says suddenly, lifting his head up to look at Chiron, only then realizing both Maia and Izzy are crouching beside him, their hands comforting touches against Alec’s shoulders and back.

“Alec, you know how dangerous it is out there for demigods,” Chiron says. “You have to consider that Magnus might-”

“Don’t,” Alec bites out, because if the thought of Magnus maybe not being alive takes root, Alec isn’t sure he’d find the strength to move.

“Just last week we got word of Jace being killed.”

“Who?”

“Son of Zeus, doesn’t matter, my point is, even if Magnus is alive, whatever happened to him could happen to you, too. Especially if you go alone.”

“I’ll go with him,” Maia says, Izzy nodding along vigorously. Alec wants to protest, tell them they should stay here, stay safe, but he remains silent. Arguing with either of them on anything would be pointless, and Alec knows how much Magnus means to them, too.

Chiron looks between the three of them in a way that makes Alec sure he’s going to try and deter them further, but his expression turns resigned a moment later, and he gives the barest nod, a sad look in his eyes.

“But, please consult the Oracle,” he adds. “This isn’t exactly a quest, but I would feel better knowing you had at least some guidance.”

All three of them freeze up for just a moment, and Alec is sure the same warnings about the Oracle are passing through all their minds. But this is Magnus, and that thought is enough to get Alec off his feet and almost marching towards the attic of the main building.

He enters the cramped space in a daze. It takes him a minute to adjust to the darkness of the room, and then he spots the figure sitting on the three-legged stool. Although Alec had heard stories of the Oracle, not just the eeriness of her voice and the stories of people going mad in her presence, but also how the body it resided in is old and falling apart, the sight of the Oracle is still jarring. Thin skin stretches across her face, her eyes too clear to be real, dark hair decorated with a headband, but all of that becomes overshadowed by her opening her mouth, by the green mist that pours from it as she does. Although her mouth doesn’t move, as soon as the voice enters his mind, Alec knows it’s the Oracle.

_I am the spirit of Delphi, speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. Approach, seeker, and ask._

The mention of his father’s name brings a strange comfort to Alec, and while it feels foolish to think it, he hopes being a son of Apollo will make the Oracle more inclined to help him.

“I want to know where to find Magnus, son of Hades.”

The mist morphs into shadowy figures that Alec vaguely recognizes as four of the Ares kids from all those years ago, the day he first met Magnus. They all turn towards him and speak in unison:

_The child of hell rests in his home,_

_Placed there by a god and doomed to spend his days alone._

_Only with a sun shining bright,_

_Can he be free of endless night._

The mist dissolves and the Oracle’s mouth closes before Alec can blink, and the room is once again quiet and dark, just a regular attic.

 

He tells Izzy and Maia the prophecy when they reach the lake on the outskirts of camp, sitting down on the sand.

“He was taken by a god?” Izzy asks, disbelief almost completely covering up the fear in her voice. “But why would a god want to take him? The whole lot of them can’t be bothered to check in on their own children, let alone someone else’s.”

“Maybe it’s Hades,” Maia says. “I mean, you could say this is Magnus’s home, but he obviously isn’t here. Which means-”

“He’s in the Underworld,” Alec finishes. “He has to be, it refers to him as a child of hell, and the endless night just seals the deal.”

After the heart of Western Civilization moved to North America, Mount Olympus could be found if you got on a special elevator in the Empire State Building, and the entrance to the Underworld somewhere in Las Vegas. They need to figure out the safest way there, soon, as well as where the actual entrance to the Underworld is.

The silence that had settled between them is interrupted only a few minutes later by a cheerful voice coming from behind them.

“Hey, there you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” Simon says as reaches them, but his bright smile quickly falls as he takes in the expressions on their faces. He sits down across from Alec and asks, uncharacteristically quiet, “What happened?”

Alec tells him in short what Chiron told them, and he recites the prophecy to Simon, who sits up just enough to hug Alec when he’s finished. Alec draws a breath in surprise, but as he releases it, it sounds more like a sob. Thankfully, Simon pulls away before the comfort of a friendly embrace coaxes all of Alec’s tears out of him.

“So, when do we leave?” Simon asks, and just like he did with Maia and Izzy, Alec wants to protest, but yet again, he says nothing. The demigods who share a godly parent are siblings, and their bond is strong, but what the five of them have sometimes feels even stronger, so how could he have expected anything else than all of them immediately agreeing to go and look for Magnus, no ifs, ands or buts.

“Flying is our fastest route, probably the safest as well,” Izzy says, pulling up her phone. They all watch her as she types, a look of immense concentration on her face, one that quickly turns into a frown. “That’s weird.”

“What?” Simon asks.

“There is a storm above Las Vegas, unlike anything I’ve heard of before,” Izzy says. “It seems all the flights to and from the city are cancelled.”

“Where is the nearest airport we can land at? We can figure out a way to get to Vegas from there, we just need to get as close as possible.”

“That would be Bullhead City, Arizona, apparently,” Izzy says after a few moments. “I’m gonna try and find us the fastest and preferably cheapest way to get there as soon as possible.”

“Okay, Alec and I can get weapons, we have to be smart though, getting arrested at the airport would be counterproductive,” Simon says and gets up, Alec following immediately. “We’ll meet you at Poseidon’s cabin.”

The girls nod and Alec and Simon head to the armory, a comfortable, albeit charged quiet settling between them. They’d all been fortunate enough not to have witnessed any big battle during their time at camp, but years of training seem to kick in just the same. Alec looks for a portable bow and arrows while Simon tries to pick find blades, and even manages to find a first aid kit in the back of a closet.

“When are you going to tell your siblings you’re leaving?” Alec asks. While Izzy was the only person he truly felt was his family out of everyone at the Apollo cabin, he knew Simon loved each of his siblings fiercely. Guess being a child of Aphrodite does that to a person.

“At dinner, probably. Though I’ve barely told them I arrived,” Simon laughs. “But they’ll be okay, if there is anything they understand, it’s love, and they know how much I love all of you. Besides, Max has some great projects they wanted to present to everyone over the summer, so they’ll keep everyone busy.”

Packing everything up, Alec and Simon head over to Poseidon’s cabin. There is one other child of Poseidon, but Bat has yet to arrive at camp, which Alec is very grateful for at the moment. Izzy tells them that the earliest flight is the next morning at 6am, with a layover in Phoenix.

“It’s the best option we’ve got, albeit not a very cheap one,” she says.

“I got it covered,” Simon says, making a shushing motion before any of them can say anything. “My dad is an actor attractive and passionate enough to have caught the eye of the goddess of love, which means Hollywood has filled his pockets plenty.”

“We’ll pay you back,” Alec says, and pulls Simon into a hug, overwhelmed with gratitude, not as much for the money as much as Simon’s easy decision to offer it. They purchase the tickets quickly, and Simon leaves for only a few moments, coming back with a promise from his sibling Rebecca that she will drive them to JFK at “ass crack of dawn”. None of them had even had a chance to unpack yet, so all that’s left to do is wait for morning, and while Alec knows talking to his friends would help pass the time, there is only one place he feels drawn to at that moment. The archery range is thankfully empty as Alec enters and picks up a bow and quiver, letting himself get lost in the familiar movements, letting his mind focus on just the targets in front of him. But this place holds too many memories for all of them to stay at bay.

 

_“Can I tell you something?”_

_Alec turned away from the targets in front of him, eyes landing on Magnus. Magnus had accompanied Alec to the archery range, a thick chemistry book under his arm and for most of the afternoon, the only sounds around them were those of pages turning and arrows hitting targets._

_Alec took in the worry in Magnus’s eyes, the way he was fidgeting with the newly acquired rings on his fingers, and immediately set aside his bow and quiver, moving to sit beside Magnus._

_“You can tell me anything, we haven’t been best friends for the past four years for nothing,” Alec said, giving Magnus a hopefully encouraging smile. Magnus nodded slowly before taking a deep breath, as if bracing himself._

_“I’m bisexual,” Magnus rushed out. “It’s something I’ve known for a while, but never really had the words or the courage to say, but I don’t want to hide, at least not in front of you, or any of my friends.”_

_Alec stared at him for a moment before feeling a smile tug on the corners of his mouth._

_“That’s wonderful, Magnus. I’m really proud of you,” he said, watching as Magnus’s shoulders slump in relief, a breathless laugh escaping him, and then Alec found himself being pulled into a hug, Magnus’s arms tight around him. The embrace felt familiar and comforting, and Alec felt the words rise up in his throat, and for once, he didn’t stop them._

_“I’m pretty sure I’m gay,” he whispered into Magnus’s shoulder. He felt Magnus’s arms slightly loosen around him, probably in an attempt to face Alec, but Alec didn’t think he could do that yet. So instead he just held Magnus closer until he felt the comforting touch of Magnus’s fingers gently trailing across his back. “And I’ve been wanting to tell my mom, but I don’t know how she’ll react.”_

_“I’m sure she’ll love you just the same,” Magnus said. “I’ve met your mother, she would end the world for you if it came to it, just like I know you would do the same for her.”_

_Alec smiled into Magnus’s shoulder, before registering the melancholy in Magnus’s voice. Magnus, who had never known his own mother, who has been outside of camp only once last year when he visited Alec for Christmas, who had told Alec then that it was the closest he’d felt to having something like a family._

_“You are part of my family,” Alec had told him, and he repeats the words into Magnus’s shoulder then, pulling back slightly to look him in the eyes. “And that means I would end the world for you, too, if it came to it.”_

_The soft awe and surprise in Magnus’s eyes had immediately settled into Alec’s memory, and he knew he would never forget that moment, or the blinding smile Magnus had given him afterwards._

 

“Thought I might find you here.”

Alec turns to the entrance of the archery range, finding Izzy standing there, an easy smile on her face.

“Dinner time,” she says, and Alec shoots one more arrow, a perfect hit, before putting everything back and joining Izzy.

“We didn’t really get a chance to talk, big brother. How is life? Your mom doing okay?” Izzy asks as they start walking. The sun has already started to set, bathing the camp in warmth, but Alec can hardly appreciate it, his mind miles away.

“Life is good, my mom is doing great, she and Luke are very happy,” Alec says, smiling at the thought. He asks Izzy about med school, and she dives into explanations of her classes, and while most of it goes over Alec’s head, he’s more than happy to listen to his sister’s happy chatter.

Magnus would have been able to ask her more specifics about the actual material, having always had a fascination for science, even starting online classes when the opportunity presented itself. The thought makes Alec’s mind go into a frenzied worry. What if he never gets to listen to Magnus and Izzy discussing the latest medical discovery, or the experiments Izzy is doing for her chemistry classes? What if he never gets to hear Magnus’s voice again at all?

“Hey.”

Alec snaps out of his daze, only then realizing they’d stopped walking, that Izzy was standing in front of him, eyes wide and worried, her hands on his shoulders.

“We’re going to get him back, Alec,” she says, and he nods shakily, not trusting his voice. She eyes him for another moment before slowly moving her arms around him, hugging him tightly. He wraps his arms around her, tries to focus on breathing, on Izzy’s presence, on the fact that tomorrow morning they’ll be on a plane heading to Magnus. They stand there until Simon finds them, telling them everyone is waiting. Dinner goes by rather smoothly, most of the campers completely unaware of the fact that someone is missing. While demigods are usually required to sit at their cabin’s tables, their second summer at camp, Magnus had somehow convinced Chiron to let him join Alec at meals.

“I told him sitting at the Hermes table might be unsafe, some bones might start popping out of the ground, things like that.”

Alec had laughed then, just happy to have his friend near him, and it would be a few years before Magnus admitted that the excuse he gave was valid, because the skeletons tended to come out when he felt unsafe or alone, scared or anxious, which was often the case at his cabin’s table. Alec had hugged him, promising to always leave an open seat next to himself for him. The seat that is now empty, and Alec can’t stand to look at it.

Maia offers them all a bed in Poseidon’s cabin, stating that she made a very valid point to Chiron that waking up half the camp hours before the sun rises would be a bad idea all around. Sleep however, doesn’t come easy to any of them, so they push three beds together, piling onto them, talking about everything and anything except the looming quest that awaits them. But soon enough, the comfort of each other’s presence lulls them to sleep, and Alec’s last conscious thought is of Magnus, as it often is.

_Wherever you are, I hope you’re safe._

 

Magnus walks around the small room, unable to keep still for a moment longer. He’s lost track of time in here, but he has a feeling it’s been at least a full day or two since he was taken. He’s still not sure what happened exactly. One minute he was looking back on the tree guarding the camp and the next he woke up in this room, darkness and cold air surrounding him. While the room looked ordinary enough, Magnus knew exactly where he was.

The Underworld, his father’s kingdom.

But he wasn’t dead, he was sure of that much. He knew what death felt like, had felt its edges and faintest brushes whenever he used his powers, and this is not what death was. But then why was he here?

There is a faint knock on the door that startles Magnus, and he sees his father slowly opening the door. It’s such a normal gesture, a father knocking and entering his child’s room, that Magnus almost laughs. Yes, a normal gesture, except it doesn’t usually happen in the Underworld with a god dressed in black silk robes.

“You’re not eating,” Hades says, eyes going to the plate he’d brought earlier, still untouched on the small table by the bed. “I told you, food from the Underworld is safe for you.”

Magnus says nothing, just watches as his father puts the new plate next to the one from earlier. If you had seen him and Magnus on the street, you would instantly see the resemblance, from the tan skin to the dark hair, even eyes the exact same shade of brown.

Hades looks at Magnus, and says, like he has said every time he came in, “I did not bring you here, Magnus, no matter what you may think.”

The silence settles between them, neither of them saying anything more, and after a few moments, Hades lets out a heavy sigh and leaves the room. He doesn’t lock the door, but there is hardly any need to. When he first woke up, Magnus had ran out of the room, trying to find a way out, which he somehow did, but as soon as he had stepped outside, a bolt of lighting struck the ground in front of his feet, making Magnus fall onto the ground. Before he could gain his senses, two hands took hold of his shoulders and dragged him back inside, back to this room.

He sits down onto the bed now, thinking of his father, of this kingdom, how it is at the same time exactly and nothing like he’d imagined. It’s as dark and uncomfortably warm and unsettling as everyone described it, but somehow even more so, making you feel like you’ve never seen the light of day. He hated that it even felt strangely familiar. His father isn’t exactly what he’d imagined either, but then again, gods can change their appearance at will, however they see fit.

_So why does he choose to look like me, like he is truly my father?_

The thought is sudden and raises a multitude of other questions in Magnus’s mind. Was it just some cruel joke? Or is he trying to genuinely form some sort of connection to Magnus, make Magnus less wary of him? Did he drag Magnus back after that strike of lightning to protect him, rather than because he didn’t want him to leave?

For the first time since he got here, Magnus begins to question who exactly brought him here.

 

The next morning is a rush of packing and getting ready, and to Alec’s surprise, Chiron wakes up to see them off.

“I hope you will be successful and bring him home,” he says, the words heavier and more serious in the stillness of the night. He hands Alec a piece of paper, and says, “This is the most likely location of the entrance to the Underworld. As you can imagine, it’s not a place many just visit and come back from, and it’s not a place anyone even likes to think about, but all the information we do have points to here.”

Alec places the paper carefully in his pocket and thanks Chiron before continuing towards the car. He can see Chiron watching after them for a moment, and then he lifts his head towards the sky, as if in prayer.

None of them speak much on the way to the airport, except Simon, but Alec thinks it’s mostly for Rebecca’s sake, to keep her alert as she drives. She drops them off, wishing them good luck, and Simon makes her promise to check in when she gets to camp.

They get their boarding passes without trouble, but Alec’s heart starts to race as they approach the security checkpoint. They’d decided to keep their weapons on their person, not wanting to risk losing them if something happened to their luggage, but that meant they could only bring those they could mask as mundane items. Izzy has a snake bracelet going around her forearm, made of the same metal as the hoop earrings Maia is wearing, items no one would know turn into celestial bronze whips and daggers. Simon, on the other hand, is holding a stuffed BB-8 toy, which he thought was a very clever way to disguise a flamethrower. The backpack Alec has looks perfectly ordinary, but holds his bow and as many arrows as he could fit, along with a celestial bronze dagger. Ideally, Alec would have wanted them to be more heavily armed, but they had to be smart, and there were only so many items they could conceal, especially on such short notice.

When Alec asked how they were going to get even the weapons that they had through security, Izzy had just smiled and told him she had it covered. Now she seems to be looking for something, and her face lights up after a moment and she silently guides them to the high priority line at the security checkpoint. Realization hits Alec as soon as he sees who is managing that particular checkpoint. Aline is standing on the other side of the metal detector, a small smile on her face, and she winks at Alec when he catches her gaze. Aline is a child of Hermes, a few years older than Alec, and apparently works as an airport security guard.

“Children of Hermes basically run every form of transport in the country,” Izzy told him as they approached the security checkpoint. “Aline said she’d get in contact with someone at Phoenix and Bullhead, she’s an angel honestly.”

Alec begins to relax as he watches Maia, Simon, and then Izzy walks through the metal detector without a hitch, as their items are returned without trouble. He walks through last, and Aline approaches him carefully as he’s waiting for his backpack finish screening.

“Good luck,” she says, barely audible, and Alec smiles at her and nods in response. His bag rolls out and he picks it up, turning to Aline fully.

“Thank you,” he says. “How have you been, how’s Helen?”

“Good, we’re actually planning a vacation soon for our anniversary,” Aline says, her face lighting up in a way Alec recognizes as pure love and adoration. It makes him think of Magnus, his heart tightening at the thought. _We’ll find him_ , he thinks, _we have to._

He says goodbye to Aline and joins Simon, Maia and Izzy. They have some time to kill before boarding starts, so they find a coffee shop, occupying a booth in the corner. Simon and Izzy get coffee for everyone and they’re all quiet for a few moments, just adding sugar into their drinks and stirring them gently.

“This is not what the movies depict four young people going to Vegas looking like,” Simon says, and they all look at him in silence for a beat before bursting out laughing, and Alec is suddenly very thankful to have not gone on this journey alone. As they talk and drink their coffee, they fall more into the image of a teen movie, but whenever one of them mentions Magnus in a story or memory, the mood shifts for a breath before they continue talking.

Rebecca texts Simon saying she’s safely back at camp right as they’re getting up to go to their gate, and it makes Alec think of his mom. He doesn’t want to worry her, but knows he needs to tell her where he’s going and what’s going on. He pulls out his phone, but a glance at his screen makes him rethink his decision. It’s not even 6am, meaning both Maryse and Luke will still be asleep. He sighs and puts his phone away, deciding to call after they land in Phoenix.

They board the small plane, Alec and Simon sitting together right behind Maia and Izzy. As they settle in, turning off their phones and putting away their bags, and wait for take off, Alec notices Simon murmuring under his breath in what Alec assumes is Hebrew.

When he’s done, Simon turns to Alec with his signature bright smile and says, “A prayer for safe travel, figured it couldn’t hurt.”

“You’re right about that,” Alec says. There’s always a certain sense of pride and content when he sees Simon praying, or wearing his Star of David necklace, because he remembers how much Simon struggled with his faith when he first came to camp. Because how could one not wonder about their beliefs with proof of gods different than their own staring them in the face?

It took time, but eventually the whole thing seemed to have made Simon more confident in his beliefs.

“I think the first big realization was that my dad was still Jewish, still believed even after meeting Aphrodite,” he had told Alec one summer. “And that kind of snowballed into me realizing that the Greek gods are just very powerful entities, beings kept alive by civilization, and that their existence doesn’t negate my faith.”

It sounded simple, and perhaps it was, even though the road to get there hadn’t been. From that summer on, Simon had taken it upon himself to talk to other kids who came from religious families, who struggled with balancing what they now knew and what they’d always believed.

Boarding is completed soon after that, followed by safety instructions and then they’re taking off. Simon dozes off almost immediately, and Alec sees Maia lay her head on Izzy’s shoulder in front of them, but Alec can’t seem to quiet his mind. He wishes he had brought a book, but arrows had taken priority when packing, so instead he turns on the little screen in front of him, scrolling through the selection of shows. He smiles when he comes across _Brooklyn Nine-Nine_ , letting himself get lost in the lightheartedness of one of his favorite shows, trying not to think about what might await him and his friends later today.

 

_“Come on, one more episode,” Magnus said, remote in hand, his wide eyes on Alec. He looked beautiful like that; soft hair falling over his forehead, his face lit up only by the soft glow of the Christmas tree, eyes bright, and Alec found himself nodding. Magnus’s smile was like the sun and it made Alec’s heart tighten in his chest._

_Maryse and Luke were at a party, leaving Alec and Magnus alone in the house for tonight. Alec had introduced Magnus to_ Brooklyn Nine-Nine _a few days ago when he’d first arrived, and watching it had quickly become their favorite thing to do every chance they got._

_Magnus laughed at something happening on screen, but Alec was hardly paying attention to it, lost in his thoughts and the feeling of Magnus so close to him._

_After telling Maia about his crush on Magnus the previous summer, Simon and Izzy had also informed Alec shortly afterwards that he was being rather obvious. Having his friends know, having said it aloud and talked about it, if only a few times, seemed to have made all his feelings more real, made him nervous about seeing Magnus again. But they’d fallen back into their usual dynamic as soon as they’d seen each other, as they always did, even if Alec was more aware of every casual touch, every hug, and every look Magnus gave him._

_“Alexander.”_

_Magnus’s voice broke Alec out of his thoughts, and it took him a moment to realize the episode was paused, and that Magnus’s eyes were on him._

_“Everything okay?” Magnus said, his voice soft._

_“Yeah, of course, I just got a bit caught up in my thoughts,” Alec said, trying his best to smile and sound reassuring, hoping Magnus would let it go. The room was quiet for a few moments as Magnus watched Alec, studying his expression, before he smiled and gave a small nod, resuming the episode._

_“I wish Jake and Amy would finally get together, it’s so obvious how much they like each other,” Magnus said after a bit. “I mean, he looks at her like she hung the moon.”_

_Alec chuckled lightly, and said, “Well, maybe she doesn’t notice when he looks at her like that.”_

_“Please, how do you miss something like that?”_

_Alec stayed quiet, eyes trained on the screen to avoid looking at Magnus. Because he knew, as Maia and Izzy_ and _Simon had pointed out to him, before he’d even admitted it to himself, that the way he looked at Magnus was different than how he looked at anyone else. It was unguarded and honest, and, he imagined, was very similar to how Jake looks at Amy. And Magnus didn’t seem to have a clue. Or, if he did, he never said anything about it._

_“Alright, I gave you one pass, but now you’re worrying me,” Magnus said, pausing the episode yet again, turning to Alec with a frown. “What’s wrong?”_

_“Nothing, I’m fine,” Alec said. “Don’t worry about it.”_

_“You’re my best friend, I can’t not be worried,” Magnus said, and then, voice a bit quieter, “Was it something I did?”_

_“No, no, of course not,” Alec said, taking Magnus’s hands into his on instinct. Ever since their first meeting, comfort always came from them holding hands, showing each other that they were there for one another. Alec squeezed Magnus’s hands a bit, giving Magnus a reassuring smile._

_“Then what is it? Because something is obviously bothering you,” Magnus insisted, eyes fixated on Alec’s. “Is it your Mom, or Luke? Apollo? A handsome history major you met at college who turned out to be an asshole?”_

_Alec choked on nothing at the last question, coughing lightly as Magnus said, almost triumphantly, “So it is about a guy!”_

_“Yeah, kind of, but not a handsome history major,” Alec said after a moment, feeling his cheeks heating up._

_“Is he an asshole?”_

_“No!”_

_“Is he into guys?”_

_“Yeah.”_

_“Is he single?”_

_“As far as I know.”_

_“Then he would be an idiot to not want to go out with you,” Magnus said, a fond smile on his face, but Alec couldn’t help noticing the barely there undertone of sadness in Magnus’s voice. Could Magnus feel the same way? Could it be that Alec had been as blind to Magnus’s feelings as Magnus had been to his? Or was this just Alec’s wishful thinking?_

_Just as Alec opened his mouth to speak, the front door opened, and a moment later, Luke and Maryse peeked into the living room, both visibly tipsy._

_“Hi boys, did you have a good night?” Luke asked, his words just slightly slurred together._

_“Yeah, we did, did you guys have fun at the party?” Alec asked. He received a very enthusiastic affirmative answer before Luke and Maryse said goodnight and went upstairs, their laughter still echoing through the room._

_When Alec turned back to Magnus, he was already facing the TV, clicking play without a word. Alec had let the episode finish before he asked Magnus what was wrong, but Magnus only said he was tired. They’d gone to bed then without much further talk, and the next morning it was as if nothing had happened, Magnus’s smile as bright as always. Alec had replayed that night in his head multiple times throughout Magnus’s stay, and he knew something had gotten to Magnus that night, but he never knew how to bring it up, nor did he want to do anything to make Magnus’s visit anything less than perfect. And so in the end, he hadn’t brought it up, just like Magnus hadn’t asked about the mystery guy. Not during his stay, or any of their calls and letters since._

 

When they land, they get off the plane and go through security in a similar fashion as at JFK, a dark-skinned woman winking at them as they pass. And again, they have some time to kill before boarding starts for their next flight, which is how Alec finds himself pulling out his phone and turning it on. His stomach drops when he sees 17 missed calls from his mom, almost as many from Luke. He steps away and takes a deep breath, dialing his mother’s number.

It rings only once before she picks up.

“Alec, thank God.”

“Hi, Mom,” he says.

“What is going on? You didn’t check in and Chiron said you left camp this morning.”

She sounds worried more than anything, and Alec wishes he had called her yesterday, explained everything himself rather than have her assume the worst.

“Yeah, Simon, Izzy, Maia and me. How much has Chiron told you?”

“That you’re going on a quest, that was all he said.”

“It’s Magnus. He’s been taken.”

Alec explains as quickly as he can, and when he finishes, there is a silence at the other end of the line, and then Alec hears Maryse take a deep breath.

“That poor boy,” she whispers, and then continues, her voice a bit louder, but no less soft. “Be careful, Alec, and check in at each stop you make, and when you get to Vegas and-”

She stops suddenly, and Alec thinks he hears her talking to someone else, and when she comes back to the phone, she only says, “Luke wants to talk to you.”

“Hey, buddy,” Luke says a breath later, his voice just a bit rougher than usual. “Your mom says you’re going to Vegas?”

“Yeah, my friend Magnus is in trouble,” he says, not exactly lying.

“If you need anything, I have an old friend who is a fire lieutenant in Vegas, I’m sure she’d be happy to help you in any way she can.”

“That would be great, thank you. If you’re sure it won’t be trouble for her.”

“Nah, she lives for that, I’ll send you her info and give her a heads up,” Luke says. “Stay safe okay? This storm is crazy, you’d think someone really had it out for Vegas.”

Alec’s brain fixates on those words, and he barely registers saying goodbye to Luke and then his mom. He’s still lost in his thoughts when he rejoins Maia, Izzy and Simon in the secluded seating area of their terminal. Maia is stroking Izzy’s hair as Izzy dozes off on her shoulder, and Simon is hugging the stuffed bb-8 to his chest, trying to fight his eyelids drooping closed.

“Everything okay?” Maia asks as Alec sits down. Her voice seems to break Simon and Izzy out of their sleepy states, both of them sitting up a bit.

“Yeah, it’s just something Luke said, that it’s almost like someone is targeting Vegas with that storm,” Alec says carefully. They all frown at him slightly for a moment, but Alec sees when the realization starts settling in.

“But that would mean…”

“Zeus,” Izzy says, finishing Maia’s statement. Alec nods, and silence falls upon the group. Knowing they were dealing with a god was bad enough, but Zeus? Not only was he the king of the gods, he was also the most disagreeable one of the bunch, if stories and his children were any indication. But why would Zeus take Magnus, or help Hades take Magnus?

“Why would Hades need help? He’s the ruler of the Underworld, surely he has means to keep people in,” Simon says.

“Maybe it wasn’t Hades.”

Everyone turns to Alec, confusion clear on their faces.

“We assume it was Hades, but people also just assume Magnus is dangerous and evil because of his heritage and powers. Maybe we’re just jumping to conclusions,” Alec says. He sees all of them take in his words, and just as Maia opens her mouth, an old lady approaches them, a pet Chihuahua by her feet.

“Can we help you?” Simon asked after a moment of tense silence and the lady just watching them.

“No need, my boy,” she says, her voice surprisingly strong in contrast to her frail appearance. “I’m not the one who will be needing help.”

The Chihuahua barks then and Alec’s eyes widen at the loud noise, and he jumps away as soon as his eyes land on the small dog, because it is no longer a small dog. The Chihuahua grows before his eyes, its entire appearance shifting: a lion’s mane forming around its head, its legs transforming into those of a goat, a massive snake-headed tail growing behind it. Just as the transformation stops, the creature growls, then looks at the old lady as if waiting for instructions.

The lady’s appearance had shifted slightly as well, her eyes more like those of a reptile than a human, hints of scaly green skin peaking out around the collar of her shirt.

“Echidna,” Maia breathes out, barely audible, but it’s enough for Alec’s memory to kick in. Echidna, mother of all monsters, one of which is right there with her.

“What, you’ve never seen a Chimera before?” she says, an evil smile spreading across her face, revealing her fanged teeth. She whistles lowly and it’s enough for the Chimera to lunge forward.

Alec jumps out of its path as Simon dismantles the stuffed toy into a flamethrower. He targets the creature, but it only seems to anger it more, causing it to charge towards Simon. Maia appears in front of him, her hoop earrings off, now transformed into the bronze daggers in her hands, and she slashes at the monster. With surprising agility for a creature its size, the Chimera dodges Maia’s attack and skids sideways towards Izzy.

Alec manages to get his bow and arrows ready then, shooting at the monster. The first arrow hits it in the back, stays lodged there as the monster roars and turns away from Izzy and towards Alec. Alec shoots another arrow, but the monster seems to have learned what to expect, opening its mouth and breathing out fire, effectively destroying the arrow before it reaches it.

“Oh, come on,” Maia groans, and starts walking towards the monster. Alec sees her look over at Izzy, who is still behind the creature, her whip now at her side. Their eyes meet and they share a single nod before springing into action. Izzy steps onto one of the seat she was sleeping in just minutes before, and jumps onto the monster’s back. She uses Alec’s arrow, still firmly stuck where it landed, to hold on as the monster tries to shake her off.

Since the creature is distracted, Alec knocks back another arrow, this one landing in its mane, stilling the Chimera for only a second, but it’s enough for Izzy to throw her whip over the monster’s head. She pulls hard, choking the creature, and before Alec can react, Maia is in front of it.

“Stab it in the mouth,” Simon yells, and Maia does so without hesitation. The scream pierces Alec’s ears, but the monster disintegrates in the next moment, leaving Maia’s dagger to fall freely to the floor. Along with Izzy.

“Ouch,” she says, but the small smile on her face is enough to reassure Alec that she’s not actually hurt. Maia helps her up, immediately wrapping her in a hug and kissing the side of her head.

“You okay?” Simon asks as he steps into place beside Alec.

“Yeah,” he says. “You?”

“I’m good.”

Alec nods and moves to pick up the two arrows that landed on the floor when the monster disappeared. He’s never had much experience with fighting outside of camp, apart from the occasional smaller, weaker monsters that would catch on to his scent when he was away from camp, but he always found it extremely convenient that they just disintegrated and went back to Tartarus because cleaning up the body of a giant Chimera is not something he would want to experience.

They gather their things, making sure to conceal their weapons again, and Maia wordlessly leads them to the Dunkin Donuts placed between two other chain restaurants. After getting their food and coffee, they sit down at a booth, silently eating for a few moments.

“I hate monsters,” Maia says, mouth half full of the caramel donut she got. They all nod in agreement, no doubt replaying their own encounters with them over the years. Running into monsters wasn’t uncommon, Maia had had particularly bad luck in that department because Poseidon was one of the three most powerful gods, and so monsters were drawn to her more. It took all of them getting a bit older to make hanging out outside of camp for any solid amount of time possible, and now encounters like this are rare, which Alec is very thankful for, because the prospect of battling monsters that you run into on your way to school seemed fun and made you feel like a superhero when you were twelve, but the thrill of it never lasted too long.

Alec is taking a sip of his coffee, almost gone, when he notices Simon staring off into the distance, his mind seemingly miles away.

“Earth to Simon,” Alec says, nudging him a little. That seems to snap him out of it, and he shakes his head slightly, murmuring an apology. “What’s wrong?”

“I think you’re right about Hades,” he says, voice quiet and uncharacteristically serious.

“But we know a god took Magnus, took him to the Underworld,” Izzy says.

“Hades isn’t the only god in the Underworld.”

“You think Persephone is behind this?”

“Not exactly.”

 

The next time Hades comes into Magnus’s room, Magnus is sitting on the bed, and he watches as his father’s eyes instinctively go to the small table. He watches as those eyes widen in surprise at the plates being empty, watches as something almost like a smile tugs at the corners of Hades’s mouth.

“If you didn’t bring me here, who did?”

The question seems to startle Hades, and he sets down the newest plate of food atop of one of the empty ones. He turns to Magnus, and the resemblance is somehow even more striking than the last time.

“Demeter,” Hades says. The name hangs in the air between them, and it takes Magnus a moment to place it. Demeter is the goddess of harvest, agriculture and fertility, but more famously, she’s the mother of Persephone, who is the queen of the Underworld, and his father’s wife.

“Why?” Magnus asks after a moment, unsure of what to do with what his father just told him.

“Because she believes it’s what I did to Persephone. Regardless of how many thousands of years pass, Demeter will always believe I dragged her daughter here and forced her to marry me,” Hades says, and the sadness in his voice strikes Magnus more than anything. He used to be scared of his powers, but even as he learned to control them, the fear of their source never eased. The memories of all those children at camp turning away from him, or looking at him in fear bubble up in his mind, and Magnus is overcome with sorrow and understanding for his father. How difficult it must be to know who you are and what you’ve done, and yet never have people change their mind about you, for hundreds, thousand of years. “And she wants to punish me in what she thinks is the same way, but is somehow worse.”

“Oh,” Magnus breathes out, trying to ignore the sharp pain piercing his heart. Is his presence a punishment even to his father, as it seems to be to almost all the demigods at camp? As much as he hated that he is here, the realisation that he is unwanted stung more than he would have guessed.

His father watches him, his eyes sad, soft, a look Magnus would have never imagined his father could have.

“Magnus,” Hades starts, and then takes a deep breath. “My son, do you think this is what I want for you? To spend your days in this endless night, surrounded by the dead? Who would wish that upon their child?” When Magnus doesn’t say anything, Hades goes on. “I do not have many children, and there is rarely more than one alive at any given moment. But I care for them, for _you_ , very deeply. It’s because of that that I wish to never see you, because seeing you means you’re here, either dead or not really living.”

“You could visit,” Magnus whispers, feeling like a small child, asking his father to make time for him.

“I never thought it would make enough of a difference. I thought it would only cause more pain, like taunting myself and you with something that can never be.”

Magnus nods, moving to the bed, wordlessly lying down on his side, his back to Hades. He can sense his father’s presence lingering for a moment before the footsteps start towards the door.

“My children are so very rarely happy, Magnus. I had hoped, and I still do, that you will be the exception.”

The door closes softly as Hades leaves, and Magnus tries to fight the tears threatening to fall. He thinks of Alec, then, the one person who had always managed to soothe his heart and calm his mind, and it is that thought that pushes him over the edge, a wretched sob escaping him, his tears not far behind.

 

“So your theory is that Demeter did this as revenge?” Maia asks when Simon finishes recounting the myth of Hades and Persephone, along with his theory of how it relates to their quest.

“Love is a strong emotion, it can blind us just as much as hate,” Simon says. “Depending on which version you believe, Persephone was either kidnapped or she went with Hades willingly, wanted to marry him and rule with him. But there is no version where Demeter doesn’t lose her shit over the outcome.”

It fits, Alec must admit, more so than just assuming Hades is a bad guy who wants to hurt his son. If Simon’s right, then getting to the Underworld is going to be the only hard part, because Alec has a feeling Hades won’t mind them taking Magnus back. He hopes not, at least.

“The only thing I can’t quite figure out is where Zeus fits into all of this,” Simon continues. “If he has his own agenda, if he’s just bored and wants to fuck with Hades a bit more?”

“Well, Demeter would need a way to make sure Magnus stayed in the Underworld,” Izzy says. “Because otherwise, Hades would just let him go. Maybe that’s where Zeus and this storm come into play.”

“But why would Zeus help Demeter?”

“She must have found a way to spin it in her favor, made him think Hades, or Magnus, deserved to be punished,” Alec says. “It could be something truly minor, but if she knew how to appeal to his power hungry, egotistical nature, I doubt a storm like that requires much effort.”

Qualms between the gods often seem like such petty, childish things, their motives rarely making sense to anyone but them. The gods’ thirst for power, their desire for revenge, their disregard for human life if it doesn’t serve them are all beasts that have been growing for centuries. And now Magnus is caught in the middle of it all.

Eventually, the start of boarding for their flight is announced and they make their way over to the gate. They’re seated almost identically as on their first flight, and Simon again prays for safe travel, but Alec only catches the start of it before the exhaustion of the day catches up to him and, despite the thousands of thoughts running through his mind, he falls asleep almost instantly.

The airport in Bullhead is crowded; more so than Alec would have expected for a city its size. The reason becomes clear when they go to find transportation to Las Vegas, just like almost everyone at the airport. All the buses are full, with more on the way, but no one was able to tell them how long they’d have to wait. The car rental place seemed more promising, at least until they were told none of them are old enough to rent a car in this state.

“There has to be some way we can get to Vegas,” Alec says, pacing in front of the rest of them, unable to stand still. They’re all exhausted from the travel, frustrated at the fact that they’d gotten so close, but are still so far away from their destination.

Alec’s phone sounds with a message and he pulls it out of his pocket, seeing a text from Luke.

_Sorry, I had an emergency at the precinct, so I just now got in contact with Catarina. This is her information. I’ve given her a heads up so feel free to call her. Good luck!_

Alec opens the contact information and dials the number there. It takes only two rings for Catarina to answer.

“Lieutenant Loss speaking.”

“Hi, this is Alec Lightwood, Luke gave me your contact information.”

“Ah, yes, of course,” she says, voice immediately warmer and less formal. “Your friend picked a hell of a weekend to get himself into trouble. What can I help you with?”

“We just landed in Bullhead, and there is no available transportation to Vegas. I was hoping you might be able to give us an idea of how to get there.”

“As much as your friend has rotten luck, yours is definitely looking up,” she says. “My wife is driving back to Vegas from that direction, I’ll give her a call to pick you up.”

“No, that’s really not necessary, we can-”

“Young man,” she says, voice stern enough to make Alec go quiet mid sentence. “You’re on her way here, it’s no trouble, and besides, you’re like a son to Luke, I am not leaving you and your friends stranded in freaking Arizona.”

Alec says nothing for a moment, but a small smile starts forming on his face and he says, “Thank you so much.”

“No problem, kiddo. I’ll give your number to my wife, she’ll call you when she’s close.”

And that is how the four of them find themselves in a car with Dorothea Rollins-Loss, with Simon, Maia and Izzy in the back seat and Alec up front. She asks about what kind of trouble their friend had gotten into, not pushing further than the vague “just something with his dad” that Alec says in answer. Simon, always knowing how to get people talking, asks about her career, and the drive passes by rather quickly as Dorothea recounts her firefighter training, where she also met Catarina.

As they get closer to Vegas, Alec gets more and more anxious, and having spent most of the day sitting in relatively confined spaces doesn’t help. Another thing that changes the closer they get is the weather. It started out with the sky getting gloomier, the world getting darker, but as they approach city limits, thunder and lightning become stronger, more frequent; the rain heavier, and the wind is louder than Alec had ever experienced.

If he had any doubts about Zeus being involved in this, they’re now completely gone.

Entering the city takes an eternity, but finally, _finally_ , they make it in front of the hotel they gave Dorothea the address to. When she’d asked where they were staying, Alec had blanked completely, realizing he hadn’t thought about anything past getting Magnus out of the Underworld. Luckily, Izzy had, and she’d given Dorothea the address immediately.

They thank her as they get out of the car, running towards the hotel entrance. Ignoring the weird and slightly pitying looks the staff gives them, Izzy checks them in at the front desk.

“They only had one room available, with two double beds, and they’re going to bring in an extra one later,” she says as she rejoins them. Alec smiles at her, thankful that she got a room for five people, like Magnus not being back by the end of the day was not a possibility.

After finding and settling into their room, all of them throw their things onto one of the beds. Although there is plenty of room to sit, none of them do, and Alec imagines they all feel just as restless as he does.

“Now for the hard part,” Izzy says, and Alec isn’t sure if she’s joking. “Finding a safe way in and out of the Underworld.”

“We have a way in, at least, a very valid option,” Alec says, pulling out the piece of paper Chiron had given him that morning. The address is for DOA Recording Studios, and after a quick search, it turns out it isn’t too far from their hotel.

“Okay, but if this is the main entrance, then it is the entrance for the dead,” Maia says. “Meaning we’d have to pass the guard Charon, the reaper of souls, then go over the river Styx, and then get passed the three-headed dog Cerberus. Not to mention that once a soul goes passes the dog, it can’t go back.”

Silence falls upon them. Up until now, just getting to Vegas had been all they’d focused on, but now they’re here, so close, but with so many obstacles left that they may as well be back at camp. There has to be _something_.

“The myth of Orpheus and Eurydice,” Simon says after a moment. “He found a way into the Underworld, alive, found Hades and made a deal with him to retrieve the soul of his deceased wife.”

“Yeah, but he failed.”

“Because he was an idiot, but he only failed in bringing his wife back, he himself made it out alive,” Maia says. “And if we’re right about Hades not being the one behind this, getting out will be the easy part.”

“I don’t think all of us should go,” Alec says in a tone that leaves no room for argument, but even then, they all turn to him, looking ready to argue.

“It’s easier,” he says quickly, voice just as sure. “Sneaking into a place you’re not supposed to be in is easier for just one person. Convincing Hades to let us go is easier if it’s just one person with Magnus.”

“Alec, we can’t let you do this alone,” Izzy says, and Alec sees the desperate plea in her eyes.

“It’s too dangerous for all of us to go,” Alec insists. “Besides, the prophecy says Magnus can be freed by a sun shining bright, which is an obvious reference to Apollo.”

“Then let me come with you at least,” Izzy says, determined, moving to stand in front of him, as if daring him to walk out without her.

Alec lets out a frustrated breath, running a hand over his face. He understands why Izzy wants to go; because of Magnus, because of him, but as scared as he is, he needs to do this alone. He’s sure of it.

“Maybe Alec is right,” Maia says, earning herself a sharp look from Izzy. “Isabelle, we can’t have a parade of living demigods going into the Underworld. Even just the two of you getting in without actually dying is too much of a risk.”

“It’s a risk for him to go on his own as well!”

“The prophecy does use the sun in a singular form,” Simon says, voice almost resigned. “Maybe it’s just how it’s supposed to be.”

“And besides,” Maia says, stepping closer to Alec, nudging him lightly with her elbow, “if we’re going for an Orpheus vibe, then only the one in love with Magnus should go.”

Alec rolls his eyes at her, feeling the slightest warmth in his cheeks. Simon grins, no doubt very pleased with the romantic turnout of this argument, but Izzy is watching Alec, her gaze unsure, scared even.

“Be careful,” she says after a moment, crossing the distance between them to wrap him into a hug. His arms go around her, holding her close, and soon enough Simon and Maia join in. They stay like that for a bit, not saying anything, and then Alec slowly shifts, breaking the embrace. He picks up his things, accepting a dagger from Maia that he hides in his boot, and he texts his mother, leaving out the part about him going into the Underworld on his own.

A chorus of ‘ _stay safe_ ’, ‘ _good luck_ ’, ‘ _we’ll be waiting_ ’ follows Alec as he exits the room, determination in his step.

 

The DOA seemed to be a lot closer on the digital map than when Alec had to walk through the raging storm to it. When he walks up to building, it looks as if it’s been closed for decades, but just as that old lady appeared to be something she was definitely not, Alec hopes that’s the case with this as well.

He walks up to the door, and it takes a few harsh tugs at the handle to get it opened, but as soon as it is, he walks in. What greets him upon entering, besides the welcomed shelter from the storm outside, is a fancy looking lobby, making the place look like a luxurious hotel, albeit very dark. Only one light is on in the entire space: a lamp placed on a table closer to the other side of the room. Sitting there is a man dressed in an honestly rather ridiculous suit reading a book.

He doesn’t seem to notice Alec as he slowly moves around the room, trying to find where to go next. The only door is the one he walked in through, but as he gets closer to the other end of the room, Alec sees an elevator door behind the man. He slowly starts walking to it, but when he reaches the man’s side, a hand grips his arm tightly. Turning to the man, Alec is met with piercing dark eyes and a deep scowl.

“You need payment to go through,” the man says, letting go of Alec’s arm to extend an open palm to him. Alec is about to argue, possibly fight him if he has to, but then he notices the nametag pinned to the lapel of the man’s blazer.

Charon.

“And what would the payment be?” he asks, as calmly as he can.

“Ah, well, it’s whatever you have on you, after all, you won’t be needing any of it,” Charon says, eyes shifting from Alec to his backpack. Alec shifts uncomfortably, aware that all his weapons, except one dagger Maia had given him, are in there. But arguing would probably just make the guard suspicious, and besides, he needs to pass through the Underworld without raising alarm, and whipping out a bow and arrows would definitely turn heads.

He reluctantly hands over his bag, and Charon grins and motions for him to go forth, but Alec makes it a full two steps before Charon rises from his chair and follows after him. He doesn’t say anything however, just walks with Alec to the elevator doors that open immediately, and enters after him.

The elevator looks rather normal, right down to the soft music playing from the speakers, but there are no buttons, only a single keyhole that Charon puts a key in, and then they’re moving. The ride takes only a few seconds, but Charon’s appearance shifts almost completely.

His skin becomes transparent and his clothes suddenly look tattered and old, holes and dirt forming in irregular patterns, but what really makes Alec uneasy are Charon’s eyes. He barely noticed them before, but now they become the focus of his appearance, completely black, deep and haunting, impossible to look at for more than a few seconds.

As they step out of the elevator, Alec subtly looks down at his own hands, relieved that they still look as solid and real as ever. He takes in the absolute darkness of their surroundings and the wide, oily black river that overwhelms the space. It must be the river Styx, a sacred river separating the world of the living from the world of the dead, the river that once granted Achilles his invulnerability. A small boat waits on the shore, and Chiron guides Alec into it before stepping in himself.

Alec takes in more of his surroundings as they make their way down the river, the barely visible ceiling of stalactites, the faint smoky fog dancing on the surface of the river and the beginnings of a green light coming from the approaching shore. It feels like he’s so far away from the real world, the living world, and panic starts clawing at his chest. He wishes he wasn’t alone, he wishes he was at camp; his friends around him, Magnus’s musical laugh surrounding him.

Magnus.

He’s doing this for Magnus, he reminds himself, over and over and over again. He picture Magnus’s eyes and his smile, the warmth of his hand in Alec’s, and by the time he manages to calm down, the boat stops moving. Charon doesn’t get up, only motions for Alec to do so, and he’s turning the boat back around as soon as Alec steps onto the shore. He stands there for a few more moments, taking deep breaths, letting memories of Magnus wash over him, and then he turns away from the river and starts walking.

 

“If this is another Star Wars thing, I quit,” Maia says from where she is sitting against the headboard, mindlessly moving around the water from her glass, forming shapes in the air. Doing this always seemed to calm her, gave her something to focus her energy on, but she’s finding it’s not being particularly helpful at the moment. 

Izzy is stretched out between Maia’s legs, her head resting against Maia’s stomach, and she’s barely moved in a while. Ever since Alec left, they’d been trying to entertain themselves, distract themselves, and since going outside wasn’t a safe option, their choice of activities was rather limited.

Which is why they’d been playing charades for the past 45 minutes.

Simon sighs deeply, only slightly disappointed, and says, “It is.”

Sensing that charades is not as fun for anyone anymore, Simon flops down on the unoccupied bed, stretching out on his back. He grabs his phone, then tosses it aside almost immediately, instead picking up the remote to the small TV and turning it on. Maia carefully moves the water back into its glass on the bedside table and turns toward Simon.

“Hey, I’m sorry,” Maia says after a moment, causing him to look over at her.

“Nah, you’re fine, I wasn’t really feeling it either,” he says, giving her a bright, reassuring smile. She smiles back, and starts running her fingers through Izzy’s hair, aware that she’s already mostly asleep. She watches her, thinking of all the mornings she’d woken up next to her, the first time being at camp when they’d snuck into Poseidon’s cabin. She thought they’d been very sneaky, but the knowing look that had passed between Alec and Magnus when they saw them the following day had proven her wrong.

“Do you think they’ll be okay?”

Izzy’s voice startles her, and she watches as her eyes blink open. She looks so worried, the familiar spark in her eyes dimmed, her smile lost, and Maia’s heart breaks.

“I don’t know,” she says honestly. “But if anyone can do this, it’s Alec and Magnus.”

“She’s right,” Simon chimes in. “Although if they don’t get their heads out of their asses and admit they love each other afterwards, I might send them back.”

That gets a smile on Izzy’s face, and Maia takes one of her hands and brings it to her lips, placing a soft kiss to the back of Izzy’s palm.

“They’ll be okay,” she says and Izzy nods, looking slightly more reassured than before. She snuggles closer to Maia, closing her eyes again, and her breathing evens out after a minute or two.

“ _The Office,_ nice!” Simon says, and Maia turns to find that indeed, an episode of the show is on TV. She and Simon watch it in silence, only commenting on the jokes and the characters every few minutes, pretending that the room isn’t heavy with worry.

 

Soon enough, Alec finds himself surrounded by ghosts, spirits of the people that are actually supposed to be here, unlike him. As eerie and dark as that feels, part of him feels somewhat comforted by it, because it reminds him of Magnus’s powers, which in turn reminds him of Magnus, and that keeps him going. He follows them as they move forward, but freezes when the crowd reaches three separate doorways guarded by Cerberus.

Alec had heard many descriptions and seen many illustrations of the three-headed dog that stands guard at the gates of the Underworld, but seeing him up close is a whole other story. Cerberus is huge, even with part of his body obscured by the mist, and his three heads are all those of very angry looking Rottweilers. Taking a deep breath, Alec starts moving again, but only makes it a few steps before one of the dog’s heads moves, eyes directly on him.

 _Of course_ , Alec thinks. Cerberus guards not only so no one gets out, but so no one living gets in.

Alec stays still, the dog’s eyes still on him, and tries to think. Orpheus got past Cerberus by playing his lyre, but he was the most talented musician in all of Ancient Greece, and while Alec may be a son of Apollo, music had never been his strong suit. He’s becoming more and more aware of the spirits that are just passing by him, seemingly unaware of the dog’s presence, just as the dog pays them no mind, but when Alec takes a step forward, Cerberus growls lowly.

Out of ideas at that point, Alec tries to sing softly, and while it makes the dog tilt his head slightly, looking more confused than anything. Another tentative step forward is yet again met with a growl, confirming Alec’s suspicions that singing won’t get him out of this.

He’s not foolish enough to think he could fight his way through, even if he did have something to fight with. Besides, despite his size and three heads, this is still a dog, and Alec doesn’t think he’d have it in him to hurt him.

Remembering the dagger in his boot, an idea starts forming in his mind. Moving very slowly, he takes the dagger out and fiddles with it until he gets it into its mundane form, a singular hoop earring. It’s shiny and a bit bulkier than a regular earring, and it’s hopefully exactly what Alec needs. He takes another step forward, effectively getting all of the dog’s eyes on him, three mouths growling.

He holds up the earring, heart pounding, but one after the other, the dog’s heads seem to shift more towards the shiny object in Alec’s hand. Alec moves his hand, waving the earring a bit, making sure it’s fully caught Cerberus’s attention, before he tosses it as far to the side as he can.

The dog jumps towards the earring in impossible long leaps, and Alec runs forward as fast as he can. Out of the three possible paths, one is moving significantly faster than the rest, and it’s the one Alec takes, pushing through the crowd. He thinks he hears loud growls coming from behind him, but no footsteps follow, and after a few moments, even the growling fades. It’s only then that Alec allows himself to slow down and catch his breath, trying to take in his surroundings.

He is surrounded by a seemingly endless sea of spirits, all just floating in place, and the ceiling above him is high and foggy, with only a few stalactites poking out. This must be the judgement pavilion, Alec thinks, the beginning of the Fields of Asphodel. In greek mythology, most souls ended up in the Fields of Asphodel, where they merely existed for the rest of eternity, because they’d done nothing horrible enough to deserve the Fields of Punishment, whose doors seem to be on Alec’s left. He couldn’t see inside, but the faint screams and cries coming from that direction seemed to be confirmation enough. To his right was another door, one seemingly more alight, especially in contrast to everything he’d seen so far in the Underworld, which led Alec to assume it was the door to Elysium. Just like the truly horrible souls got special treatment, so did the truly good ones, living out their afterlife in Elysium, in their own personal paradise.

But neither of those doors would lead him to Hades’s palace, so Alec moves forward, further into the Fields of Asphodel.

 

He’s not sure how long he had been walking for without much changing around him, exhaustion sinking further into his body with each step. But when he spots the faint burst of color in the distance, he breaks out into a run towards it. He’s met with an intricate black fence beyond which is the most lush, rich, peculiar garden he’d ever seen, full of multicolored mushrooms, almost luminous plants, and a whole orchard of pomegranate trees.

The garden of Persephone, which means he must be close to Hades’s palace.

He opens the gates, breathing out a sigh of relief when they open without trouble, and steps into the garden. The smell of his surroundings, especially that of the pomegranate trees is almost intoxicating, but Alec forces himself to keep moving, telling himself eating something from the Underworld is a very bad idea.

As he suspected, at the end of the garden he finds the grand, completely black palace of Hades. The front steps are guarded by two skeletons in military gear, but as Alec approaches them, they stay perfectly still, and before he can think of what to do next, the doors of the palace open in a gust of wind, and Alec walks inside.

The room Alec finds himself in is a grand, open space, filled only with a few columns, and the magnificent black onyx throne, decorated with skulls and bones that seemed to have become one with the seat. There are about a dozen guards identical to those at the entrance all around the room, but none of them move towards Alec. A door on the far right of the room opens with a loud thud, and when Alec turns, he knows he’s just laid eyes on the god of the dead.

Hades walks with determination, like a king, dressed in rich black silk, has shoulder length dark hair and a crown of braided gold. His face is set in a mask of neutrality, cold and standoffish, and yet Alec can’t help but think how similar he looks to Magnus. He’s halfway across the room when he simply waves his right hand and all the guards march out of the room, stepping in perfect unison.

“The last time a living mortal came this far into the Underworld, he wanted to bring his beloved wife back to life, and it didn’t end well,” Hades says with little interest, his voice powerful and deep, sounding through the entire room. “So if you’re here on a similar quest, I’m afraid you’ve come a long way for nothing.”

“I am here on a quest, but it doesn’t involve bringing anyone back to life,” Alec says, and almost immediately, doubt creeps into his mind. He isn’t sure Magnus is still alive. “At least, I hope not.”

Hades raises an eyebrow at him, a gesture that so acutely reminds him of Magnus that he almost feels like laughing. But right now, the darkness of this place, the fear he feels for Magnus, and himself, is too heavy in his chest for laughter.

“Then what is your quest?”

“I’m here to bring Magnus back to the world of the living.”

Time seems to stand still as Hades fully turns to him, eyes wide, watching Alec as if he’s only now truly noticed him. Alec isn’t sure what to make of this, of Hades’s surprise. Had they been wrong? Was Magnus not here after all? Anxiety claws at Alec’s chest as the silence stretches on, as Hades continues looking at him.

“What’s your name?” he asks suddenly, and Alec barely stutters out his response, caught off guard by the question. “And what brought you here in your search?”

“A prophecy,” Alec says, and he can’t help but notice Hades doesn’t seem to be too pleased with that answer, so he immediately goes on. “I went to the Oracle for guidance because I came to camp to find my best friend missing and she gave me a prophecy. I only wish to bring him home safely.”

Hades turns his gaze away from Alec for a few breaths, as if debating his response.

“You don’t think I took him,” Hades says after a moment.

“No, I do not.”

“Why? Isn’t it the obvious solution?”

“Because I don’t believe you’re evil just because of your realm, just like I know Magnus isn’t evil just because he can raise skeletons from the ground.”

When Hades turns back to face him, Alec is not quite sure if he’s imagining the small smile on his face. He lifts up a finger to Alec, silently telling him to wait, before he turns and disappears through one of the double doors on the far left wall of the room.

 

Magnus is staring at the ceiling, having gotten tired of staring at the floor, when a knock sounds through the room. He sits up, confused. It’s only been a few hours since Hades was last here, and Magnus is unsure how to feel about the fact that he’s already grown used to a routine in this place.

“Come in,” he says, and his father pushes the door open fully. Magnus studies him, as he always does when Hades first enters the room, and the expression on his face is unlike any other Magnus had seen in these past few days. His father is smiling, looking almost hopeful, happy even.

“You have a visitor,” Hades says. Magnus’s heart starts pounding, his thoughts going a mile a minute. If someone is here it means they’re dead and Magnus can’t deal with the possibility of anyone who would think to visit him being dead.

“He’s not dead,” Hades reassures him, motioning for him to follow him as he turns back to the hallway and starts walking. Magnus scrambles to get up and quickly catches up to his father. He tries to take in the dark beauty of the palace halls that he hadn’t bothered to explore during his stay, and he’s so immersed in it, in trying to occupy his thoughts, that he almost misses when his father speaks.

“Despite the circumstance that brought you here, I am glad to have gotten some time with you.”

The way he says it makes it seem like this mysterious visitor has come to take Magnus away, though who and to where are still unclear. He turns over Hades’s words in his mind, and as strange as it is, no matter how much he wants to get out of this place, he thinks he might miss his father, too, if only a little.

“And I promise to try and visit, when possible.”

Though he knows Hades can’t see him, Magnus grins and says, “I look forward to it.”

Soon enough, they find themselves in a grand room, in what must be the throne room, and in the middle of it stands Alec, whole and alive, waiting for him.

 

Alec barely registers Magnus’s presence ( _he’s okay, he’s alive, he’s_ alive) before Magnus is running towards him and throwing his arms around him. Alec returns the embrace wholly, squeezing Magnus as close to him as he can, breathing him in, tucking his face into the crook of his neck to feel his heartbeat. A few tears escape his eyes, but he can’t find it in himself to care, not when Magnus is here, in his arms, when all his worry and fear fades away with each breath he feels Magnus take.

He’s not sure how long the embrace lasts, and when they pull away, Alec immediately takes one of Magnus’s hands into his, not wanting to lose contact. Magnus looks the same as he did the last time Alec saw him, albeit more tired, a certain sadness underneath the warm look he has in his eyes. He’s still just as beautiful as he’s always been.

Hades stands a few feet away from them, and the look in his eyes is so warm, almost fatherly.

“This prophecy of yours, will it grant you safety from the storm outside?” Hades asks.

“I believe so,” Alec says, though he’s not certain how. The prophecy seemed clear that Magnus could be freed by a child of Apollo by his side, but the mechanics of it are still a mystery. He feels Magnus squeeze his hand, and a sense of peace washes over him. Magnus is safe, real and solid and alive by his side; there is nothing he can’t face.

“Then I grant you permission to leave my realm,” Hades says. “The exit you’ll take will lead you to the back door of the DOA. I assume you’ll appreciate the shortcut.”

His eyes are on Alec when he says this, so Alec feels more so than sees Magnus freeze up.

“Did you,” he starts, but then tugs on Alec’s arm a bit to get him to look at him. “Did you pass through the main entrance to get here?”

“Yeah,” Alec says, shrugging, as if it were nothing shocking. “It was the only way I knew that would lead me to you.”

The look on Magnus’s face is one Alec doesn’t think he’ll ever forget; his mouth slightly open, eyes wide and bright with tears. He’s looking at Alec like he’s a miracle, like he just told him he single handedly hung up every star in the sky just for Magnus to see; as if he didn’t know Alec would do anything for him.

Hades clears his throat slightly, making both Alec and Magnus turn to him. Following the motion of his hand, Alec sees the doorway that must lead to the exit, and he starts walking toward it, Magnus right by his side. As they approach Hades, Alec stops and turns to the god.

“Thank you,” he says, truly meaning it.

“No need,” Hades says. “I wish you a safe journey back to camp.”

Nodding, Alec starts moving forward again, but Magnus seems to stay rooted in his place. A quick look back reveals Hades’s hand on Magnus’s shoulder, and Alec lets go of Magnus. He moves forward only a few steps, because while he senses he is not meant to be part of whatever conversation is about to take place, he can’t bring himself to move further away from Magnus.

“I hope my wish for you will come true,” he says, and while Alec is unsure of what that means, Magnus seems to know, nodding at Hades’s words.

“Thank you, father.”

Hades smiles softly and drops his hand from Magnus’s shoulder, slowly moving away as Magnus rejoins Alec and slides his hand into Alec’s, and they walk towards the doorway, together.

 

It takes almost no time for them to see the end of the hallway, but they stop before going further.

“So, do we just walk outside and hope for the best?” Magnus says, eyeing the door in front of them.

“Maybe I should try asking my dad for help?” Alec says. On their walk, Magnus had told him what had happened when he first tried to escape, how close the lightning was to hitting him and how Hades took him back inside. Asking his father for help is the only thing Alec had thought of that might help them. Apollo is far from a reliable, mature god, but he’s had his moments of tenderness with Alec, and he hopes that will be enough for Apollo to hear him.

Taking a deep breath, Alec closes his eyes, and thinks of his father.

He always feels strange doing this, especially now that he hasn’t done it in years, not since he was a kid and wished for his father to return, back when Luke wasn’t in the picture. One of those times Apollo had actually found him the next day, and told him the same thing his mother had when he first got to camp. It’s impossible for him to stay with Alec and his mother, that the most he can promise is to visit and try to lend a helping hand when it’s needed.

_Hey dad, it’s Alec. I need your help, a way to get Magnus and myself to safety._

Not knowing what else to say, Alec opens his eyes, but everything seems the same, and he doesn’t feel any different. Before the panic can settle, a loud knock echoes through the hallway.

He and Magnus exchange a look, and then the door opens, revealing a girl with bright red hair, dressed in greek armour, a quiver on her back.

“Son of Apollo?” she asks, looking at them. Alec nods, and the girl motions him forward. Magnus is right behind him as he moves, reconnecting their hands. The sight that greets them as they step outside might be one of the more surprising things Alec had seen that day.

A group of girls all dressed similarly to the one that led them outside are standing spread across a small alley, all armed with silver arrows and daggers, bows ready. At the center is a girl who is obviously their leader, her authority evident in her stance and the intricacies of her armor. Though Alec is sure he has never seen her before, something about her eyes is strangely familiar.

“Better get a move on, the Hunters in the sky can only distract Zeus for so long,” the assumed leader says. “Get out of this alley, follow Clary.”

She points to the redhead that had opened the door, and not wanting to waste time with questions, Alec and Magnus follow after her as she leads them to a main street.

“You’re a Hunter of Artemis, aren’t you?” Magnus asks the girl as they turn a corner.

“Lieutenant, actually, but yes,” Clary says.

Now Alec realizes why their leader had seemed so familiar. His father’s twin sister, Artemis, is the goddess of the moon, animals and wilderness, but most famously, the hunt. A maiden goddess who, unlike most of the gods, doesn’t keep to herself, but is a leader of the Hunters, a group of women who have turned their back on men and pledged their loyalty to the goddess, women made immortal by this oath, women who follow Artemis into battle and wherever else she might lead them.

Izzy and Maia are going to lose it when he tells them about this.

“Did Apollo send you?” Alec asks.

“We only take orders from lady Artemis,” Clary says. “But yes, this was a favor to your father.”

Alec smiles at that, silently thanking Apollo, and after another few moments, Alec sees their hotel across the street.

“This is where I leave you, for I must rejoin my sisters,” Clary says.

“Thank you,” Magnus says. “And thank lady Artemis.”

“I will.”

She runs back with surprising speed and grace, and then it’s just Alec and Magnus, their hands still intertwined between them. Alec leads them to the hotel, easily finding the right room, and knocks.

The door swings open, revealing Izzy, Maia and Simon standing in the small hallway, expressions of anxiety quickly transformed into ones of joy as they take in the sight before them. They push forward, almost tackling Magnus into a hug, bringing Alec into the embrace as well. It takes a few moments for all of them to untangle themselves from each other, and when they do, they shuffle into the room. Alec grins when he notices the four pizza boxes on the table, and the moment Magnus notices them, he turns to Izzy, Maia and Simon and breathes out, “I love you guys.”

They laugh, returning the sentiment, and the five of them arrange themselves on one of the beds, staying close and eating pizza, recounting their eventful past few days. Maia makes Alec promise to replace the dagger he lost, despite how happy she is it helped him, and Izzy insists on checking Magnus for injuries, though he assures her he’s perfectly unharmed. Magnus stays close to Alec, as he always does, and it feels so right to have him by his side again, and Alec knows, without a shadow of a doubt, that he would walk through hell a thousand times if it meant Magnus would smile like that forever.

 

Zeus is watching the storm as it rages over Vegas, feeling quite proud of himself. It’s a pretty nice, intimidating, powerful storm, especially considering how limited the area is. He’s debating if it needs more thunder when the doors of his throne room burst open. An angry looking Demeter storms in, walking right up to him.

“You let the boy get away!” she screams. It takes Zeus a moment to recall what she’s talking about, but as he remembers, Demeter continues talking. “Those blasted Hunters obscured your vision, and you let him get away!”

“Father.”

Both Demeter and Zeus turn to the still open doors of Zeus’s throne room, finding a tan man with curly blonde hair standing there.

“Apollo, Demeter here is yelling at me, can you come by later?”

“I’m actually here regarding the same matter,” Apollo says, stepping further into the throne room. “I feel obligated, as the god of prophecy, to inform you that the escape of the son of Hades was prophesied, therefore there is no need to continue this rather impressive storm over the city of Las Vegas.”

Zeus frowns. While he does love this storm, they all must come to an end, but there is always a place that could use one. Slowly, he starts disintegrating the storm over Las Vegas, earning another scream from Demeter.

“What about what we talked about?” Demeter screeches. “How Hades must have been behind your son’s death, how he wishes to use his own son against you and take your throne, how he and the boy must be punished for plotting against you?”

“Ah yes, that,” Zeus says, the conversation he had with Demeter recently returning to his mind. He’d forgotten most of it over the last few days, too caught up with making this storm as grand as it could be. “I shall deal with that when the time comes. Besides, I’m pretty sure I have another child on the way somewhere in Texas.”

Demeter lets out a frustrated breath, and storms out of the throne room, silently followed by Apollo.

“Finally, some peace and quiet,” Zeus whispers, and goes back to planning where his next storm will hit.

 

When Alec blinks his eyes open the next day, he’s first surprised by the soft sunlight coming from the window, and then by the solid form pressed against his back. He turns slightly, finding Magnus sleeping soundly behind him, his arms still loosely around Alec. From the relaxed face and the soft hair falling over Magnus’s forehead, to the way the sunlight bathes Magnus in gold, Alec finds himself almost breathless at the sight.

The room is strangely quiet considering Alec doesn’t feel it’s that early in the morning. They’d fallen asleep after hours of talking last night, Maia and Izzy on one bed, and Simon on the extra one that had been brought in earlier. He hadn’t even allowed room for debate, simply moving to the separate bed after he’d announced he was going to sleep. Which left Alec and Magnus with the other double bed, but Alec hadn’t even had a moment to overthink it, because both of them had fallen asleep as soon as they laid down.

Barely lifting his head off the pillow, Alec notices the room is empty except for him and Magnus. He turns back slightly, reaching for his phone on the nightstand, and sees a message from Maia.

_We went out to get some sun and get coffee, didn’t want to wake you. We’ll bring some over when we get back. I promise to text when we’re close ;)_

Alec rolls his eyes at the message and sets his phone aside. She’d sent it about half an hour ago, so Alec guesses it will be a little while until they get back. Just then, Magnus’s eyes slowly flutter open, and he smiles as soon as his eyes land on Alec.

“Good morning,” he says, voice still raspy from sleep.

“Good morning. Did you sleep okay?”

“Yeah, I slept great,” he says. “Once I got used to your snores.”

“Hey, I don’t snore.”

Magnus laughs as Alec puffs out a breath, trying to look offended.

“Yes, you do, and it’s adorable.”

Any attempt to even appear mad fades at that, and Alec feels his cheeks heat up slightly. He finds Magnus’s hand in the space between them, placing his own over it.

“Thank you, Alexander,” Magnus says suddenly, voice serious, his eyes trained on Alec’s face. He’s forgotten how his heartbeat quickens whenever Magnus truly looks at him, focuses on him, and it takes him a moment to find his voice.

“There is nothing to thank me for, Magnus.”

The hand beneath Alec’s shifts, Magnus moving to intertwine their fingers together, his gaze dropping to their joint hands. They stay like that for a bit, letting themselves enjoy the comfortable silence and peace after so all the turmoil of the past few days.

“Can I ask you something?” Alec says.

“Anything.”

“Where were you going, that day you left camp?”

Magnus seems only slightly surprised by the question as he looks up at Alec again.

“You know how I’ve been taking online classes for a degree in chemistry?”

Alec nods, smiling at the memory of how excited Magnus had been when he got into that online program, how much happier it had made him.

“Well, I sort of applied for a more advanced program, one at a standard, regular in class university,” he says. “And I got in. Full scholarship and all.”

“Magnus,” Alec breathes out, squeezing his hand for a moment. “That’s amazing, I’m so proud of you.”

A bright smile spreads across Magnus’s face, not fading for a second as he continues.

“I was going to tell you all when you got to camp, but I’d wanted to visit the campus beforehand, make sure it was something I really wanted. Obviously it didn’t work out that way, but I’m even more certain now that I want to go.”

“I’m so happy for you,” Alec says, hoping he can convey just how much he means that. “Which university is it?”

“One where I am hoping to run into a certain son of Apollo quite often.”

Alec grins, shifting to wrap an arm around Magnus, pulling him closer to his chest. Lying next to Magnus, holding him close in the morning light shouldn’t feel as familiar as it does, as safe as it does, but then again Alec isn’t surprised. Being close to Magnus has always felt like home.

“I was scared I was never going to see you again,” Alec whispers, finding that he can only voice this fear, now that Magnus is safe in his arms.

“You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

Alec tightens his hold on Magnus and he breathes out a laugh when Magnus’s goatee scratches lightly against his neck, but it turns into a soft gasp when he feels Magnus press a kiss against the same spot. Pulling away just enough to look at Magnus, Alec takes in the unsure, yet so beautifully hopeful, loving look in Magnus’s eyes.

“Can I kiss you?” Alec blurts out, but before he can second guess his question, Magnus leans in, pressing his lips against Alec’s. For all the times Alec has imagined this, has thought of this exact moment, nothing compares to the real thing. To how warm and soft Magnus’s lips are against his, how perfectly they seem to fit together. Magnus moves a hand to Alec’s side, pulling him even closer, making Alec gasp. He feels like he could get lost in this for hours, the feeling of Magnus kissing him, holding him, the loud thumping of Magnus’s heart underneath Alec’s palm where he placed it on Magnus’s chest.

Even as they pull away, Alec sneaks in a few more pecks against Magnus’s lips before letting him lean back fully.

“I’ve wanted to do that for so long,” Magnus whispers and then laughs, a breathy, wonderful sound that Alec never wants to forget.

“Me too.”

They lose track of time for a while, completely wrapped up in each other, in the excitement of kissing and being close, in the familiarity of talking and laughing together. When the door of the hotel room opens, Simon, Maia and Izzy walking in with donuts and coffee in hand, Alec doesn’t even think of moving from where he’s lying next to Magnus, his head resting on Magnus’s chest.

“Finally,” Maia says, rolling her eyes, but it’s impossible to miss the bright smile on her face, perfectly matching Izzy’s. Simon grins at them as well as he hands them their coffees.

They’ll need to leave soon, book a flight and get back to camp, but for right now, Alec thinks they all deserve a moment to just be a group of friends visiting Vegas together.

 

Alec has never been more excited to start school, and Maryse makes it a point to tease him about it relentlessly the entire drive to his dorm. Luke stays mostly silent, only adding onto Maryse’s teasing as he drives, but Alec can see him smiling.

They unload the car, each of them grabbing what they can, which thankfully turns out to be everything, and make their way to the dorms. Having been here for a few semesters, Alec is very familiar with the building, with where his dorm is, everything is pretty much the same.

Well, except for his roommate.

He ignores his mother’s raised eyebrow as he grins at the thought.

When they approach his dorm room, they find the door already opened. There are a few boxes and a suitcase on one of the beds, and a man in an expensive looking dark suit standing between them. He looks a bit lost, a strange look on a man so put together, but when he turns and meets Alec’s eyes, Alec realizes why.

“Hello,” Hades says, smiling. “You must be Alec, right? My nephew has told me so much about his new roommate.”

There is a moment of complete stillness until Alec’s brain readjusts to the situation, and then he smiles, stepping further into the room, followed by his mother and Luke. He places his things on the unoccupied bed and extends a hand to Hades.

“Yes, I’m Alec, and you must be-”

“Harold,” Hades says, a bit too practiced. “Harold Bane.”

“Nice to meet you,” Alec says before turning. He extends a hand towards Maryse and Luke and says, “This is my mother, Maryse Lightwood-Garroway and my step-father, Luke Garroway.”

Both of them step forward and shake hands with Hades, and Luke immediately starts asking about what Hades does for a living, and seems fascinated when Hades says he runs a recording studio. Alec hopes Luke will attribute the stilted way Hades speaks to nerves, or exhaustion, but he only watches the exchange for a moment before he feels his mother slowly pull him to the side.

“Is that who I think it is or does Magnus really have a long lost uncle?” she whispers, eyes on Hades.

“Magnus doesn’t have a long lost uncle.”

Maryse nods, face neutral as she takes in this information, but then a smile tugs at the corners of her lips.

“It’s nice that he came,” she says, and Alec nods, his own smile forming. Just as they move to rejoin the two men, there is a faint knock on the still open door, and Alec looks over to find Magnus standing there, dressed up in a button up shirt and dark pants, intricate necklaces and rings standing out against the rather simple outfit. Alec crosses the distance between them in two short steps and pulls Magnus into a hug with practiced ease.

“I would kiss you, but there are too many parents here,” he whispers into his ear before pulling away, smiling at the breathy laugh Magnus lets out. Magnus still leans in, pressing a soft kiss to Alec’s cheek, making Alec’s smile wider.

Luke and Maryse are thrilled to see Magnus, hugging him as if they hadn’t seen him for years, not the few weeks that it had actually been. The five of them make small talk for a bit, though Hades stays mostly silent, instead just observing with a small smile on his face.

“I’m afraid I must be going,” he says after a bit, shaking hands with Luke and Maryse, then with Alec, wishing him good luck in his studies. Magnus walks the few steps to the door with Hades, and to Alec’s, and seemingly Magnus’s surprise, Hades pulls him into a brief hug before walking away.

Alec grins at Magnus when he meets his eyes, and Magnus smiles back, joining in on unpacking all of the boxes they’d brought in.


End file.
